Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 007241

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- --

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Ambassador Wilson: US Has New Plans Regarding the PKK -
Milliyet
Wilson Praises Ataturk at Credentials Ceremony - Milliyet
Erdogan: US Occupation Turned Iraq into a Training Field for
Terrorists - Milliyet
Rice Explains CIA Planes to European Ministers - Hurriyet
Ahmadinajad: Israel Must be Moved to Europe - Hurriyet
Ahmadinajad Rejects Genocide of Jews by Nazis - Vatan
Fugitive Croat General Gotovina Captured in Canary Islands -
Aksam
Gotovina Charged with Killing 150 Serbs - Hurriyet
Denmark Investigates Ties between Roj TV - PKK - Sabah
Election Violence Claims 8 Lives in Egypt - Sabah
Bush Stars in `Merry Christmas' Clip - Sabah

OPINION MAKERS
New US Ambassador Wilson Presents Credentials to President
Sezer - Yeni Safak
EU: Torture, Mistreatment Diminishing in Turkey - Zaman
EU Puts Off Talks on Financial Aid to Turkish Cyprus -
Cumhuriyet
Rice Persuades Europeans on CIA Planes - Yeni Safak
Del Ponte: Gotovina Captured, Karadzic, Mladic Next -
Radikal
OIC `Action Plan' to Fight against Extremism, Terror - Zaman
Al-Hayat: Talabani to Meet Insurgents, US in Suleymaniye -
Yeni Safak
Insurgents Claim US Captive Schulz Killed in Iraq -
Cumhuriyet
Ahmadinajad: Hitler Did Not Kill Jews - Zaman
Muslim Brotherhood Wins 88 Seats in Parliament, Mubarak
Uneasy - Radikal

BRIEFING

Ambassador Wilson Presents Credentials to President Sezer:
The new US Ambassador to Ankara, Ross L. Wilson, presented
his credentials to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on
Thursday, papers report. Welcoming the US Ambassador at the
Presidential `Cankaya' Palace, Sezer expressed pleasure to
receive Ambassador Wilson and staff. Wilson conveyed to
Sezer two letters from President Bush- the first on the
calling back to Washington of the previous ambassador, Eric
Edelman, after he was appointed to the US Department of
Defense as Undersecretary for Policy, and the second
Wilson's letters of credentials.

Ambassador Wilson Interview with "Milliyet": The following
is a summary of an interview with Ambassador Wilson carried
today in "Milliyet":

`When I spoke of not causing unnecessary problems in
bilateral ties with Turkey during my hearing at the US
Senate, I had in mind the complicated nature of the US-
Turkey relationship. When you are the US Ambassador in
Turkey, you have to be successful in dealing with various
issues -- you have to juggle many balls at the same time.

ANKARA 00007241 002 OF 006

While dealing with one issue, I must see that the other
issues are not dropped.'

`Eric Edelman is an old friend of mine. He is among the
finest diplomats of our generation. I am aware of, and,
disturbed by the fact that there are some in Turkey who made
personal attacks against Edelman while he was here. I know
that during his last six weeks in Ankara, Edelman made
progress toward achieving a better tone in bilateral
relations. Nancy McEldowney has continued those forward
steps during her time in Ankara as Charge d'Affaires.
During mutual high-level visits, it was diagnosed that we
had a problem, and the necessary tone was adopted to sort
out the problem. My task is to build on that ground, to
both strengthen and modernize our relationship. The actual
goal is not good relations but to eliminate the common
concerns of our two peoples.'

`Bilateral trade between our two countries is not at the
level it should be with a country of Turkey's size.
American investments, and in general, foreign investments in
Turkey are scant. Directing US investors to Turkey will be
part of my job. Furthermore, we must work together with the
EU to improve the grounds for business and investments in
Turkey.'

`My overall goal would be getting US and Turkey to act
together on the issues of Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and making
sure that such joint actions are recognized by others. Our
diplomatic efforts should be jointed to each other -- in
this way, we will know about each other's plans, and will
not surprise each other. The good point is that, Turkey has
been helping the US a lot on Iraq. Washington values that
help.'

`I have great sympathy for the thousands of Turks who had
been subjected to PKK terrorism. This sympathy is shared by
the highest levels of the US Administration. You know that
we have been developing a comprehensive common approach with
the Turkish government with regard to the PKK. The criteria
for the success of our policies on the PKK will first be
seen in a decrease of violence, and then in a complete end
to it. Among my priorities in Ankara is to make our new
plans a reality.'

`A will spare a considerable part of my time to diplomacy
that interfaces with the nation. I will meet with
universities, business circles, and civic organizations as
much as I can in an effort to explain why the US does
something and for what, and more importantly, to listen to
the Turks' views. In my understanding, public diplomacy
means to keep quiet sometimes and listen to what the others
are saying.'

`The US Congress deems important the normalization of Turkey-
Armenia ties. It is US policy that the border between the
two countries be opened. I will consider the sensitivities
of Armenian-Americans and our other nationals on the issue.
I am for a dialogue between the two countries. Some recent
steps in Turkey and the breaking of the taboo are
important.'

`The launch of EU-Turkey accession talks was essential for
the long-term interests of Turkey, Europe and the United
States. I am planning a close working relationship with the
EU ambassadors and the EU Commission Representative in
Ankara. US is not a mediator in EU-Turkey talks, but can
provide outsider support in times of trouble.'

ANKARA 00007241 003 OF 006

`The human rights issue is important for the kind of country
that Turkey wants to become. The strengthening of
democratic institutions and legal order, and respect for
human rights and equality are necessary. I will always
convey to the Turkish government and nation the emphasis the
United States puts on this issue.'

FBI Chief Mueller Visits Turkey: The Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Robert Mueller
arrived in Ankara Thursday night to hold a series of
meetings with officials including Interior Minister
Abdulkadir Aksu, Security Director General Gokhan Aydiner
and Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) Chief Emre
Taner, papers report. Mueller will discuss al-Qaida related
terrorist activities and drugs trafficking issues with the
Turks. The sides will raise the issue of establishing in
Turkey an academy to combat terrorism. Turks are preparing
to set up a training center such as the UN-backed TADOC
academy for fighting international drugs trafficking and
organized crime. FBI is expected to donate 3 million USD
for the academy. "Cumhuriyet" says in a front-page story
that Mueller will discuss with Turkish security officials
the smuggling of nuclear parts to Iran and Syria. The paper
expects the US to step up pressure on Damascus and Tehran if
evidence is found that the two countries have acquired
materials to manufacture nuclear weapons. Mueller will ask
Turks to prevent smuggling of arms to the insurgents in
Iraq. The Turks will tell Mueller that to achieve that
effect, US had to strengthen security measures along the
border with Iraq, speculates "Cumhuriyet." Mueller will
also be briefed on the activities of Islamic organizations
and the PKK in Turkey. "Milliyet" reports that Mueller made
a `surprise' request after arrival in Ankara, and asked for
the involvement at the talks of deputy Security Director-
General for Organized Crime, Emin Arslan, who was sacked
three days ago. On Mueller's request, a reluctant Security
Director-General Gokhan Aydiner included Arslan in the
delegation to meet with the FBI chief, says "Milliyet."

EU Sees Decrease in Torture in Turkey: Turkish dailies
report the Council of Europe's Committee for Prevention of
Torture (CPT) as saying in a report that evaluated a CPT
visit to Turkey in March 2004 that compared to previous
years, there has been a drop in torture and mistreatment in
Turkish prisons and police stations. In March last year, a
CPT delegation had visited prisons and law enforcement
facilities in several provinces across Turkey such as Aydin,
Gaziantep, Mugla, Mersin and Izmir. The CPT report advises
Turkish authorities to train law enforcement officials. It
underlines that the human rights training program for
prisons and police centers personnel is seriously
implemented in Turkey, and recommends that this program be
extended to prosecutors and judges. The report welcomes the
Turkish government's work to guarantee the right of
detainees to access to a lawyer. The CPT is comprised of
independent experts, and it has the right to inspect prisons
and police headquarters of Council of Europe member
countries.

Gul on Kirkuk, December 15 Polls in Iraq: In a letter sent
to UNSYG Kofi Annan on December 2, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul called on the UN to open a representation office in
Kirkuk, Turkish papers report. Gul warned that Kirkuk could
turn into a venue of instability and confrontation, and
asked the government to be established in Iraq to address
this issue. Gul stated that if the December 15 legislative
polls are held successfully, political transformation in
Iraq will gain legitimacy. Gul noted that election
observation must be done by UN members as well as other

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international organizations. Gul warned the international
community not to repeat the earlier failures in preventing
fraud in January polls and in the recently held referendum
on the constitution.

TGS on AKP MP Call to Move Military Compounds Outside
Ankara: The Turkish General Staff (TGS) responded in a
statement yesterday to the ruling AK Party lawmaker Resul
Tosun's call for the military to move force command
compounds and troops outside the capital Ankara, calling the
Tosun remarks a `delirious claim' to banish the military
from `the sight and the heart of the Turkish nation.' Tosun
said in an article he wrote for the Islamist-oriented daily
"Yeni Safak" on Wednesday that the large number of military
buildings in Ankara gave the city an overly military
appearance inappropriate for an aspiring EU member. He also
asked that military barracks on the grounds of the
parliament be moved to outer areas of the capital, or to
another town. `Such initiatives are worrying, and must be
evaluated as individual delirium,' the TGS said in a short
statement posted on its website. Tosun, in response, said
in a statement yesterday that he stood behind his words `as
a national who believes in civil democracy.' `In my
article, I put forward a highly objective proposal to our
General Staff to foil the propaganda waged against our
military. I am a Turkish citizen who is proud of our army
that inspires trust in our friends and fear in our enemies,'
Tosun said.

Aksu on Turkey's Handling of Refugees: Interior Minister
Abdulkadir Aksu told a symposium on international migration
in Istanbul on Thursday that the Turkish government is
working on projects for better control of Turkey's borders
which will soon become the borders of the European Union
(EU). Aksu said that about 500,000 migrants enter EU
countries illegally every year. Aksu pointed out that
Turkey has accepted millions of migrants and refugees in its
history. `Migration into Turkish lands began with the
arrival of 300,000 Jews from Spain. In the past 200 years,
Turkey has been home for millions of refugees,' Aksu
emphasized. Aksu noted that Turkey has received 52,542
refugees from Iraq in 1980, 300,000 from Bulgaria in the
1980s and some 40,000 refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina in
the 1990s. Aksu stated that his government has opened
shelters for the victims of human trafficking in big cities
such as Istanbul and Ankara, and that 5.1 million USD has
been apportioned to deal with migrants entering Turkey
illegally. Aksu also noted that Turkey was refurbishing its
border crossings with the latest technology in an effort to
tighten the control at the gates against international
crimes.

EU Drops Conditions for Direct Trade with Turkish Cyprus:
On Thursday, the EU Commission decided in a meeting of the
EU permanent envoys in Brussels to withdraw its
preconditions to launch direct trade with Turkish Cyprus,
papers report. Turkey had strongly opposed the EU
Commission when it had asked the Turkish side to open the
`ghost city' of Maras (Varosha) to the Greek Cypriots, and
to complete an exchange of properties before the EU kicks
off free trade with Turkish Cypriots. In the beginning of
December, EU envoys had reached an agreement on a financial
assistance package of 259 million USD for Turkish Cyprus in
a package which came with conditions. The EU Commission
said on Thursday that it decided to pull back the conditions
due to the strong reactions from Turkey and north Cyprus.

Aksu Denies AKP Wants to Ban Liquor in Turkey: The ruling
AK Party denied yesterday claims by some mainstream papers

ANKARA 00007241 005 OF 006

that it wants to ban liquor in Turkey, dailies report. The
AKP government has issued guidelines to local councils and
those run by the AKP have started to ban alcohol from
restaurants and cafes run by them, spreading the debate over
whether and how to restrict alcohol sales to holiday resorts
such as Antalya and Kusadasi. Papers have reported that
AKP, in an attempt to discourage drinking, wants to limit
establishments licensed to sell alcohol to the edge of towns
and cities. `Observers warned that any restrictions on
alcohol in the EU-candidate country risked damaging Turkey's
tourist industry. There is no question of a ban. We are a
government in favor of freedom, not of bans,' Interior
Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said. Aksu accused the AKP's
political opponents of deliberately misrepresenting the
government's aims.

HRW to Monitor Pamuk Trial: Director of Europe and Central
Asia for Human Rights Watch, Holly Cartner, said on Thursday
that the trial of acclaimed Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk
will show the world which direction Turkish justice is
heading, international wire services reported on Thursday.
`The right signal would be prompt acquittal and a strong
statement from the bench affirming that Turkish law protects
freedom of expression,' Cartner said. Human Rights Watch is
sending observers to the trial of Orhan Pamuk, which is due
to start on Friday, December 16. Pamuk is being charged
with `insulting the Turkish identity' under article 301 of
the criminal code. He was indicted for telling the Swiss
magazine "Das Bild" in February that, '30,000 Kurds and one
million Armenians were killed in these lands.' If
convicted, Pamuk can be imprisoned for up to four years.
`From the world-renowned poet Nazym Hikmet in the 1930s to
Orhan Pamuk today, Turkish judges have prosecuted and
imprisoned the country's greatest writers. A Turkish judge
needs to make a really strong declaration to prove that
those days are finally over,' Cartner said.

PKK Landmine Kills 3 soldiers Near Van: A landmine planted
yesterday by terrorist PKK fighters in Baskale near the
southeastern city of Van killed three Turkish soldiers,
papers report. The soldiers were killed by a landmine set
off through a remote control device. In the Baglar district
of Diyarbakir, a raid on a house turned up 8 kg of C-4
plastic explosives believed to belong to PKK militants.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq

"Sunni Arabs in Iraqi Equilibrium"
Ozdem Sanberk opined in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal"
(12/9): "The upcoming election in Iraq has an impact on
shaping not only Iraq's future but also the security and
future of the region. If a stable central government
capable of controlling all of Iraq cannot be formed within 4
months after the elections, the constitutional process will
be doomed to collapse. If this happens, it will be
extremely difficult to ensure Iraq's integrity. This will
also increase the pressure on the Bush administration to
pull out. On the other hand, if the US pulls out from Iraq
without preserving territorial integrity, there will be
serious consequences for both the region and for the globe.
One of the most important factors for achieving success in
the Iraqi constitutional process is to ensure that Sunnis
are not alienated from the political procedure. However it
is no secret that Sunnis do not have enough confidence in
the US, and they have strong doubts about a just and fair
election process. In fact there were many irregularities as
well as unjustifiable demographic changes during the January
2005 elections and the October 15 referendum which

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significantly minimized the participation of Sunnis and
Turkmens in the political process. The differences among
the Sunni groups themselves constitute another major
obstacle against full participation of Sunnis in the
process."

"Middle East and Democracy"
Haluk Ulman wrote in the economic-political daily "Dunya"
(12/9): "President Bush defended the Iraq intervention by
saying `the victory of freedom in Iraq will be an
inspiration for democracy advocates in Damascus and Tehran.'
Anyone who watches the developments in Iraq knows well
enough that President Bush is not talking about facts. In
fact only he and to his close aids could make this argument.
President Bush seems to be fooling himself not only
regarding the possibility of a democratic regime in Iraq but
also regarding the reduction in insurgent activities. The
Greater Middle East project to bring democracy in the Middle
East region is nothing but a still-born baby. Democracy is
not the main target here, because Bush believes that once
these countries are ruled with democracy they will all
pursue a pro-American line. In fact he is very wrong to
believe this. Democracy in the Middle East will harm the US
most. The current US presence in this region is made
possible by the conservative and authoritarian regimes.
Unfortunately the Bush administration is mixing reality with
dreams."

"Efforts for a More Active Foreign Policy"
Washington-based Mesut Hazar wrote in the conservative-
nationalist "Turkiye" (12/9): "Many senators from Bush's
party recently requested that the US correct its mistakes in
Iraq and end the US-single-handed war. Therefore, it will
not surprise anyone if the US starts pulling out from Iraq
in 2006. The most important issue here is what kind of a
`peace force' will be in place once the US troops are gone.
At this point, Turkey's value and importance as a strategic
partner of the US is unquestionable. In the past, the US
did not listen to Turkey adequately. It did not take the
concerns of Turkish diplomats and the military officials
into account properly. The US should have benefited from
Turkey's centuries-old experience. Now it is time to
correct the mistakes of the past. The US should fulfill the
requirements to improve the relations with its strategic
partner and friend Turkey. In order to achieve this, the US
first should eliminate Turkey's concerns regarding northern
Iraq. Now it is time for action instead of promises. The
Turkey-US relationship will improve immensely if the US
eliminates the PKK in northern Iraq, ignores the Greek and
Armenian lobbies' anti-Turkey activities in the US, and if
it supports Turkey's EU and Cyprus policies."

WILSON

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